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Comment by technobabbler | Hacker News Reader

It was really beautiful but the pacing was horrible for modern attention spams. I loved the movie, but only because I read way too many of the books and played all the games and watched every Dune before it. My partner had no idea what was going on and fell asleep 1/3 of the way through... even though she is normally a movie completionist.

That dude had a certain style, cinematic intellectualism with beautiful cinematography. It's definitely not for everyone. Dune is that unique blend of world building, political intrigue, religious exploration, coming of age, and a tiny bit of action. Hard to get all of that in one movie, and the trailers made it seem more Star Wars than Blade Runner.

It's the sort of movie to watch when you're seeking quiet contemplation, not popcorn pulp...

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I can't stand the Avengers/Marvel style of pacing and switch off immediately with the constant CGI and fighting scene.

I was completely gripped with the new Dune but God help her if she tries to watch Lawrence of Arabia, Tarkovsky (e.g. Stalker), or 2001. For me it works, I appreciate others might not like it but I thought the style was great.

If somebody is going in expecting a space western like Star Wars or Star Trek, then I agree with you about the pacing. I think the movie moved along beautifully.

I didn't expect to like it because I didn't really like the book. For me, this is one of the few times where I think the movie is better than the book.

I hear this criticism a fair amount. I felt the polar opposite. I felt like Dune was made for me. I really enjoy that engrossing feeling of scale(both visually and aurally) that I am constantly bombarded by.

I am glad that a film like that can even be made these days given that I think you're right about modern attention spans.

> Hard to get all of that in one movie, and the trailers made it seem more Star Wars than Blade Runner.

This is because directors usually don't have anything to do with the trailers (in fact, it's typically outsourced to companies who specialize in making them). Trailers tend to reflect what the studio execs want people to think the movie is about, which trends towards "what gets the most people to buy tickets?"

Sadly, I don't think this will ever change.

I did enjoy the movie, though. Villeneuve really did the book justice, and I cannot wait for part two.

>It was really beautiful but the pacing was horrible for modern attention spams.

It's also pretty horrible from past audiences' point of view given that they'd expect to see more than a prologue in a 155m film. Villenueve makes truly beautiful movies but it comes at a cost.

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